Why it is hard to be a slytherin
by MistyLottie
Summary: Anyone ever thought that to be a slytherin is hard? No? Well it can be. Especially when you learn a true that was hidden. From everyone. It's a piece of Hogwarts, thus Slytherin, history that is accidentally found in one student's diary. Just check it


**Well it has totally nothing to do with my first story lol. But since the idea came to me who am I to ignore it.**

**I actually dedicate this one for Pottermore snakes, cheers fellas.  
**

**And enjoy, I guess ^^**

**Why it is hard o be a slytherin**

… First of all, I'm not someone famous. You don't know me. Nor I feel like telling you my name.

And second of all, it is probably not what you've expected to read. Well, that was never the idea in the first place. But since you've decided to check it out, you're not closing it now, are you? Insert raised eyebrows and a silent chuckle – this will lighten up the atmosphere.

And now, let's head to the cause of this thingy. Unstory-story. Whatever weird it sounds.

I just hope that someone who finds this journal of few pages will bring it to light.

Everybody's talking about our old Hogwarts: Hogwarts from ancient times (even though it's the time we live), in its glory as one might say. It has always been strange to me. To see that huge old-fashioned castle looming amongst all new age buildings and technologies. Gadgetty people inside those moss-grown walls suddenly turning into medieval witches and wizards, with no phones, computers and stuff. Equipped with wands, quills, cauldrons, brooms and odd-smelling books. And with various owls – the one and only way to communicate with the world. Sounds pretty isolated, doesn't it? It's like you're forced to be and act like an older person. The one who might've lived hundreds of years ago. Guess, wizardry school makes no difference from then, even now. Though sometimes it's good to have a thing or two – stable, never-changing in this ever-changing rhythm of life.

Blehhh.  
It's getting annoying. How can some people even write such thing?

Back to the main topic. So. Why is it hard to be a slytherin? You really don't know (general things I mean)? Or maybe you're just pretending? To get someone answer it for you? Well that would be incredibly lazy and selfish of you. but since you're already reading (yes, I know you are, I know very well that there's no privacy in keeping a diary, no matter how safe you'd feel about it. Wasn't it proved with Tom Riddle's diary? People love to take stuff that isn't theirs) and since you've already taken my notes in whatever hands you got there, I can't stop you. Can I? Even if I can, I'm too far away to do that. Lucky you, nosy fellow. Here's some history first.

What do you know about Hogwarts? JK told us everything and more, you might say acting ever so overconfident. Guess what. It's not true. You only set your eyes on a little piece, which is Hogwarts, on a piece that was chosen carefully to expose it to non-magical creatures of Earth. JK has never been anything more than a simple favoured, just a person who was allowed to inform others about something she had witnessed. By accident probably, you can never know if some roaming homunculus saw you doing something inscrutable. Not that I know all the details. I've never had a chance to meet the writer. I was already out of school when this let-her-reveal-something-so-that-it-would-be-more-entertaining-for-us stir started. Can't say I'm very disappointed about it. No. I'm even glad I wasn't there. The school itself is noisy and bustling. Add an infinitely curious, ever snooping around muggle, also a bunch of attention seeking wizards always trying harder than yesterday to convince her to put them in her book (which was strictly censored by the most influential heads of our magical society) and you'll get a total absurdity in no time.

Hm, I suppose I could write an entire work or at least a volume about everything. Any sponsors?

I'm not going to unravel every, or any, secrets of Hogwarts (well, not on purpose). Just some facts that are related to my house. Slytherin. You are definitely used to green and silver colours of ours, and a snake on our emblem by now. It wasn't always like this though. Actually, there would be no Slytherin if it hadn't been for a group of heads in Ministry. Ironic. That's how it is. And the irony has never left. Perhaps, it is glued on us for the rest of Hogwarts existence.

There were only three founder houses. You know, 3 being magic number and all. Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor. See, not even a single letter 'S'. As if there was never meant to be anything else than that. There probably wasn't. I'm not surprised. But changes had to be made. The reason was very simple. More than simple even: an unsuspected explosion of wizards population. Now try to surmise, where did the majority of them land? Almost half, maybe more, were sorted to Gryffindor. Surprised? I'm not. Technically, six of ten (if not more) land in this house. And it has nothing to do with them being brave, chivalrous or anything. It's just that if you're not as wise as ravens and not so hard-working as badgers, there's no other place to order you. So you become a gryff. Rarer – a badger. Don't forget, the Hat partly considers your own wishes. Most people want to leave a trace in history, a bright one if possible, and to be a gryyf is something of a start. Prestige. How pathetic.

Oh, I don't hold any grudge against anyone or anything if such thought has crossed your mind.

You can maintain that the shake-up, the actual requisition from Ministry of Magic was like a downfall to some gryffs. Not a bolt from the blue. More like an abrupt humiliating kick on a butt. And no matter what happened after, for some of them it had stayed a stain in their reputation for the rest of their life, for the rest of the time that will follow. Pretty hard burden to carry, don't you think? So if you're still following, it is number one cause of why it is difficult to be a slytherin student. But if your brain failed to grasp what I meant I'll tell it in simple terms.

_Slytherin was born from Gryffindor._

Not entirely.

But it's still a real splinter in a very uncomfortable place for both. Because it means that there is no such thing as a pure snake or gryff. You may object – Gryffindor wasn't created from any other house, it was always there, right from the beginning. Want to hear why this is a lie too? (Yes, I'm perfectly aware that I mentioned the name Gryffindor above, but that was only to avoid a bigger confusion.) It is, this whole world is enveloped in lies. Clearing one won't make a difference. Maybe just for a handful it is already known, but you're not here to care about them. Right now you're seeking for answers. And that I shall provide you.

Guess it would've been wiser of me if I had begun narrating things in chronological order. Too bad I never think much before doing something.

Let's start anew.

There were only three founder houses. Ravenclaw with its founder Rowena. Hufflepuff with Helga. And a house which name hadn't been pronounced for so long (not to mention the founder whom everyone forgot), because it was forbidden by Ministry. Firegryff (yeah, I know, quite lame but it is how it is). The most high-powered and perhaps the most majestic. The one that left us so many talented wizards and witches, who later were assigned to the two houses that appeared instead by their qualities and skills: Merlin, for example, could talk to snakes, and so he is being called a slytherin nowadays. On the crest of Firegryff was a silver, fire spitting dragon. It symbolizes power and success. Crimson and silver colours would rarely leave the Great Hall. Was it like this for they'd work very hard or were they simply destined for glory? Who knows. The population explosion wiped out everything: numbers of House Cups, the crest, the name, most of the records, even students…

That's how, not without government's interference, even important and famous ones can be crossed out of history. I have to admit – it's a strike bellow belt.

They separated up the house. Divided it in two so contrary, yet, so akin parts. And perhaps that's the root of animosity between them. Colour red and 'gryff' piece of the name fell to Gryffindor. Silver and reptile-like creature – to Slytherin. The only compromise agreed. Everything else was unfair. Wicked. Wrong.

Less talented, more troublesome. Those were the main attributes that ensured one a spot in Slytherin. Outcasts. That was the plan. To establish a house in which everyone, who tends to break rules or would be a shame to have for a housemate, was rounded up. And this way to reduce the huge number of firegryffs, of course. Our animal became a snake – a thing usually earning aversion if not loathing, it should've guaranteed us the same treatment. Silver dye that once meant joy then gained a meaning of defeat, cause royal golden was given to gryffs who also painted a lion on their emblem. You know how it is: winner gets gold, loser has to deal with silver. Lion is a king and snake is just another petty slug. Anyways, whatever the real goal was, it never worked out. At least not the way it was supposed to. Those who were taken for rejects were the last ones to laugh. To some purpose green is a hue of Slytherin. It represents hope. And freedom.

Because some people believed in us.

All this thing, Firegryff elimination, occurred after new school year had begun. When students were engrossed in learning fresh stuff and talking about Quidditch. To explain the situation to the other houses and to show that it has nothing to do with Ministry they came up with a story: some of firegyffs couldn't get along and therefore asked to form a new house for them. Some bought it. Some pretended to. Yet, on the separation day there were only gryffs in the Great Hall. It would've been a real torment to wait for everyone to put on the modified Sorting Hat, so teachers had to do it basing their decision on their intuition and on what they'd noticed. I wouldn't be surprised if it was tough for them too. I mean, you've just announced the name of a person who'll become a target of taunting, but you still will be teaching them, waiting patiently and with worry until they graduate. Perhaps fearing that one day they'll avenge the injustice that was made towards them. You wouldn't want anything like that to happen to you, would you?

However, so called 'outcasts' weren't the only ones to form Slytherin. No. Dozens of gifted fellows joined their friends in trouble. Dozens of those who felt indignant at such ruling. Those, whose principles were against it. And those who just couldn't or didn't want to stay with the rest of gryffs. They all stepped forward to align with those who were ostracized. (See? We're not so heartless as think.) Show me someone who wouldn't choose a better life over misery and hardship. You'll have to look hard for such. And now tell me. Was it Gryffindor's chivalry? Or. Was it Slytherin's pride? The thing that prodded students into such action. There's no telling. It can be and it most likely is both.

You can't dissociate these two houses. If you were put in one, it doesn't mean you couldn't have landed in other. After all, no matter how much you would hate this, gryffs and snakes share the same 'bloodline'.

Still. People are cruel. Simple words make more damage than a stab on the back. By the time the year ended, lots of lies and misleading rumours had been spread about Slytherin. You know them, you might be the one spreading them: snakes are cheats; they're all evil; losers; always lying bastards; they only draw troubles, etc. The list can go on and on and on. But maybe that's where our pride lies. We want to show everyone that we're not who they believe us to be. Though wish is not a right word to name our ambition. It's more like a casual saying "We've never done anything _to_ you and _for_ you. And we're not planning of doing so." And you know what? The next House Cup found its place in Slytherin. Shocking lions and everyone else. Real shame that later our first victory was trampled to dusts by declaring we'd won only due to cheating.

It sucks, you know. To be hated. Without a single true reason.

I haven't any idea what we did to be treated like that. To hear all those endless rude things behind our backs. Is it jealousy? You should realize it's not our fault that Ministry decided to create a 'house of potential criminals'. It's not our fault that it failed. It's not our fault that the most evil ones, say, Voldemort, were produced by our house. It's not our fault that you refuse to note every villain but the ones from Slytherin, even though there are plenty of them from other houses. Unmentioned on purpose. The only thing we admit to be guilty for is – being stronger than anyone could've expected.

Here I rewrite a quote from Merlin's journal. Don't know where he found it, but it speaks true.

"_It is hard to be a slytherin, because it is hard to stay strong. To stay yourself. When those who you used to call friends turn their backs on you. When the only encouraging words you hear come from your housemates and everyone else hates you openly. When whenever something bad happens all eyes are trained on you, waiting for you to show any sign that it was your doing. When all the history of your house in which you could take pride is hidden from you. When everybody anticipates you to be who you're not. When they say things to provoke you. It is hard. And sometimes you're not strong enough to ignore it. So you snap back, lash out. Attack first before anyone can attack you."_

We're not incarnations of wickedness. But if you want a fight, a fight you'll get. Again, it's not our fault you refuse to get to know us. To try to understand. Most of us are helpful and friendly. And, I suppose, the bond between us is stronger than in any other house.

However, nobody's perfect. The same goes for you and me.

Guess, in the end Firegryff partition was a good thing in some aspects. There was too much tension anyways. Firegryff would've fallen sooner or later, but divided into two it is still here. Even though the only reminder of it is the words on Hogwarts emblem. _Draco dormiens nunquam titilandus._ Never tickle a sleeping dragon. What? You thought it's there just for the hell of it? No. In fact, it has a continuation which is: or you risk to get burnt. Ministry of Magic tickled a dragon and in return they encountered resistance.

Instead of collapsing, Slytherin came to the front. And will not fall in the near future.

You're probably wondering now, how do I know this all stuff, that was supposed to stay in obscurity? Let's just say Harry Potter was not the only one who sneaked into Restricted Section to flip through some book pages…

_**from unknown slytherin's diary  
**_

* * *

**Thanks for reading! (you can review ya know ^^)**


End file.
